Pool game 1 vs Ankeny Thunder, W, 15-4 in 5 innings. Playing as the host team on a beautiful late spring weekend, the boys came out a little flat and found themselves down 2-1 after two innings. But the boys roughed up the opposing pitcher the second time around the batting by plating six runs. Aaron Halligan and Tyler Broders drew no out walks, followed by a sacrifice fly from Brady Cartee to tie the game. Hayden Franks, Anfernee Crompton, Terrill Clayburne, and Drake Vanderpool followed with two out rbi base hits to take the lead. Brady led the offense with five rbi. Joey Wescom and Terrill chipped in another two rbi apiece. Brady and Matt Grosskopf kept the Thunder from getting the big inning started by allowing only 2 hits, striking out 6 and walking five.

Pool game 2 vs Moline Blackhawks (Maroon), W, 16-3 in 4 innings. In the second game of the day the Redbird offense wasted no time and batted around in the first inning and put up seven runs. Brady, Matt, Hayden, AC, and Drake all had rbi base hits. The boys continued to pound the ball by putting up seven more runs in the fourth. David started out the uprising by drawing a leadoff walk. Aaron, Brady, Matt, and AC all knocked in runs during the frame. Nick drove in the final two runs on a bases loaded walk and passed ball. On the mound Tyler and Terrill shut down a tough Moline squad. The pair gave up only five hits while striking out four and walking just two.

Pool game 3 vs Quad City A’s. W, 11-5 in 6 innings. Day two of the tournament saw more of the same from the Redbirds. Scoring six runs in the first inning put the A’s in a hole from which they couldn’t recover. Aaron, Tyler, Brady, Matt, and Hayden all reached safely and knocked in runs. Terrill and Drake then knocked in final two runs of the inning to put the game of out of reach. On the hill, Drake, Terrill, and Hayden combined to give up five hits, struck out eight and walking six.

Tournament semifinal game vs Moline Blackhawks (Black), W 13-7 in 5 innings. Championship Sunday saw a tough Moline squad jump on the Redbirds for three quick runs in the first highlight by a big homerun from the Moline clean-up hitter. Not to be outdone, the boys came right back in their half of the first to tie the score on a lead-off walk to Aaron, a single by Tyler and a two-run triple from Brady who then scored on a passed ball to knot the score. Not to be outdone Moline came right back in the third with two more runs highlighted by the second dinger from the Moline clean up hitter. But, in the bottom of the third the Redbirds broke open a tight game by scoring nine to put the game away. Consecutive hits from Tyler, Brady, and Matt plated two runs. A bases loaded walk to Hayden followed by safeties from AC, Terrill, and Drake scored four more runs. Batting for the second time in the inning Tyler and Brady knocked in the final three runs in the inning. On the hil l, Matt and Brady kept the game close and allowed ten hits, but struck out ten and walking three between them.

Tournament Championship game vs QC Hitmen, W, 11-10 in 7 innings. In a see-saw affair the Hitmen jumped ahead by scoring two runs in the first. The boys cut it in half in the bottom half on a double by Tyler and single from Matt. The boys tied the score in the second on a walk to AC and a groundout rbi from Drake. The Hitmen then scored two to regain the lead in the third without the benefit of a base hit but the Redbirds came right back to take the lead with three in bottom half of the inning on singles from Aaron, Brady, Matt, and AC. The bottom half of the Hitmen order plated three in the top of the fourth to take back the lead. The Redbirds came right back and tied the score at 7 in the bottom of the fourth on a lead-off walk from David and base hits from Brady and Matt. Following suit the Hitmen scored two to jump ahead 9-7 after 5 innings. Needing two to tie David led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk and scored on a triple from Tyler who then scored on a passed ball to send the game into extra innings. In the seventh the Hitmen scored the go ahead run on a lead-off walk and rbi groundout to take the lead. But the Redbirds would not be denied as AC led of the seventh with a triple and scored the tying run on a single by Terrill. Then on 1-1 pitch Aaron hit a sharp infield ground ball that he beat out for a single to knock in Terrill with the winning run.

With the hard fought victory over a superb Hitmen squad the Redbirds record stands at 22-3 with 2 first place finishes. Great job boys!!